1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a farming plant for the breeding of marine fauna, adapted for floating in free water. Additionally, the invention relates to a module for a farming plant, a method for manufacturing a residential compartment of a modular farming plant, use of such a farming plant for the breeding of smolt, as well as a method for emptying such a plant. In the context of the present invention, a fish farming plant is intended to cover a farming plant for the breeding of marine fauna.
The present invention is designed especially for fish/aquaculture farming, e.g., for the breeding of smolt, among other things, which is a phase of the salmon life cycle subsequent to the fry phase and adaptation for life in sea water, but before the fish is considered an adult salmon. However, the invention may also advantageously be used for farming adult salmon, other fish species, shellfish, or other marine organisms belonging to the marine fauna.
2. Description of Related Art
In the breeding of marine fauna in free water, it is a problem that the habitat for the fauna is poorly controllable. A further problem is that the organisms, such as the fish, for example, may be able to escape. This is a problem both because valuable fish are lost, and also because the environment nearby the plant can be ruined by the introduction of species which do not belong in the local environment. This is particularly a problem in the production of smolt. Additional problems can be related to poor control of fodder, medication, water temperature, as well as the accumulation of contaminations/faecal, etc.
Consequently, land-based breeding of smolt in tanks and pools has been suggested. Such installations, however, are space-consuming and require easy access to sea water. Other installations that have been suggested include tanks in the form of elongate, circular, translucent, synthetic pipes constituting residential compartments designed for floating in the sea. In such installations, water is taken from a given water depth in order to provide water free of harmful organisms such as salmon lice and in order to provide water having a relatively constant, low temperature. The applicant has developed plants of the type indicated above.
However, a problem associated with such plants is that salmon lice and other undesirable parasites, pathogens, and predators may get into the residential compartment, especially if the circulation maintained in the compartment ceases. These organisms may then move upstream and into the residential compartment. In such a situation, one generally has little control of the environment inside the residential compartment.
Other problems associated with installations of a type indicated above are that the circular, translucent pipes constituting the residential compartment cannot easily be produced larger than a certain size, and it is hence difficult to manufacture residential compartments that are large enough to enable the production of sufficient marine fauna. In the case of salmon/smolt, such fish also prefer to be able to swim in a more horizontal plane over up and down in depth. Circular pipes limit the ability of the fish to move in the horizontal plane more than oval pipes do. Oval pipes also ensure that a larger portion of the fish is allowed the freedom to move across the largest width dimension of the pipe.